


The Burden of Truth (or Parataxic Distortion)

by allegorical_fox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5 Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Female Harry Potter, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 17:39:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7583629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allegorical_fox/pseuds/allegorical_fox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>4+1; Four people who looked at her and saw someone else and the one who didn’t.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Burden of Truth (or Parataxic Distortion)

_“People only see what they are prepared to see.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson_   

(1) 

He felt himself looking for her in the throng of first years. Spotting her, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Was this really the girl that Lily Evans gave her life for?

When he first saw her, he had been shocked to see James Potter looking at him with _her_ eyes. Thus, he could not help it when he started questioning the girl on that first day in Potions class, just to see what she would do. He had been waiting for this day for years, wondering if Lily’s daughter would be anything like her.

Yet, this girl was Potter’s sprog through and through. Everything about her screamed James Potter. His mouth curled into a sneer at the thought. It did not take much to tell that she had inherited her father’s arrogance along with his looks.

The contrast was jarring though—seeing Lily’s eyes in James Potter’s face. He constantly had to remind himself that this was Lily’s child. Still, it was so easy to forget that detail when all he saw was James Potter. No child of hers would be so arrogant, but _his_ would.

So when his first Potions class only confirmed what he already knew, he did not know why he had assumed she would be any different. Prideful, just like her father. Pity. But then, had he expected any less? Like father, like daughter after all. 

(2) 

He felt his breath hitch when he first saw her sitting in his class. She was the spitting image of James…But no, that wasn’t quite right either.

There were hints of Lily in her face, in the more delicate curve of her cheeks and chin. And those eyes—there was no mistaking those eyes for anyone’s but hers.

But it was uncanny, seeing James’ daughter like this, as he watched as the girl with bushy hair and the red headed boy attempt to draw her into conversation. It only served to highlight how much time had passed…how much he had missed. Mostly, it reminded him of his own inadequacies.

Looking at her, it felt like loosing Lily and James all over again.

It wasn't right—it wasn’t the way it should have been. Harry should have been carefree, innocent and not burdened by the weight of world. That, most of all, was something he deeply regretted—not being able to alleviate some of that responsibility.

And yet, he knew that Lily and James would have been so proud of their daughter.

Later, as he watched her struggle produce a true corporeal patronus, he smiled at her. He was proud of her too.

(3) 

When he met her for the first time, it had been as if he’d been looking a ghost. He thought he was seeing things at first—more specifically, a slightly more feminine James with longer hair. He’d seen stranger things and he wouldn’t have put it past James to have done something like that. In fact, he _had_.

He had a hard time separating and distinguishing her from his memories of James. Of course, they were two entirely different people—but most of the time, it felt like he had his best friend back.

No, he blinked. Not James, he reminded himself. This was Harry, James’ daughter.

But it was in the way she laughed or the look in her face when she got determined about something. That was all James.

Oh, he could see the hints of Lily in Harry. She had the same mile wide stubborn streak that her mother had.

But the rest—oh, that was all James.

Maybe that was why it was so confusing. She was James but also not James.

Most of the time, he knew she was his goddaughter. But as time went on the lines blurred and he found himself becoming less and less concerned about it. He partially blamed it on being cooped up in that house for too long—it made him feel cagey and useless. He thought that staying in _that_ house for too long would drive anyone crazy.

However, it did not change how he felt about her. As he would have given James (his brother in all but blood) the world, he would do the same for his daughter too. And to his credit, he did try. He owed her that, at least.

He could not fault her for not being like James, not really, anyways.

But sometimes when he looked at her, he felt the loss all too greatly. Even after all this time, it still didn’t seem real.

Despite (or perhaps in spite of) his conflicting feelings, he promised he would do his best for her. She was all he had now.

However, he knew deep down that she deserved better than what he could ever give her.  

(4) 

He liked to think that he was able to cultivate the best in people. And she…she was no different.

So when she and Dumbledore arrived at his house, he found himself remembering why he loved teaching. Talking with her also made him recall another student of his who had equal spark and promise at her age.

Lily Evans had been a wonderful surprise, back in the day. Bright as they came—and for a muggleborn, too! Lily had had such a fire in her eyes and had been such a joy to teach. It was a shame that she had died so young—she had had such promise too.

Thus, it did not come as much of a surprise that her daughter shone just as brightly as her mother did. It was to be expected, Lily Evans had been the brightest witch of her age and it stood to reason that her daughter had inherited some of that intelligence too.

In his first Potions class with her, he had been pleasantly surprised. She was excellent at potions, just as he had thought.

For all that Snape remarked about her lackluster performance in his class, the girl appeared to be a natural. But then, he knew better than anyone that with the right tutelage, anything was possible.

Yes, this girl was definitely Slug Club material. He was excited for the prospective students this year.

After all, there was a reason that he was associated with success.

(5) 

She had been there from the beginning. She had been there when the girl had been sent to live with her aunt and uncle on that fateful night. Now, as the girl’s head of house, she had the opportunity to continue to be there, watching as girl grew over the years.

Perhaps that was why she believed she was able to see Potter as clearly as she had. She was protective of all her Lions, but she felt she’d always had a soft spot for the Potters.

She quirked her lips into a small smile. Despite all the trouble they had given her, she had been fond of James and the rest of the Marauder’s. How could she not? She had given them enough detentions over the years to know what they were like. Even now, she looked back on those memories with a fond smile.

And Harry…Harry was the best of Lily and James, if she did say so herself. She had James’ tenacious curiosity (and penchant for trouble) and Lily’s steadfast determination and sharp tongue.

Nevertheless, Harry was so much more than the shadows of her parents.

As Harry sat there in front of her desk looking listless about her prospects after Hogwarts, she found herself getting angry on the girl’s behalf. Umbridge’s disruptive humming was not helping cool her temper either.

She wasn’t going to stand for that wretched woman standing in the way of Potter’s dreams, because if anyone deserved a semblance of normalcy, it was Potter. She would see to it personally if she had to.

If nothing else, she could at least do that.

Harry Potter was the living legacy of Lily and James Potter. But she was still just a child, a child with the burdened with task of saving the world. She did not imagine it was an easy thing to bear—it was not hard to see the cracks if you knew where to look.

She could not do much for Potter, but she was determined. Her position in the school gave her some authority. Enough, she hoped, to make a difference. She swore to herself that she would do everything within her power to do something.

And, she thought tempestuously, _somebody_ needed to challenge Dolores.

It gave her immense pleasure watching Umbridge storm out of the room. In that moment, she felt confidence surge through her.

As long as she was around, she would ensure that Harry Potter always had an ally.

**Author's Note:**

> In case it wasn’t clear, the perspectives in order were Snape, Remus, Sirius, Slughorn and McGonagall. This is also unbetaed, so I apologize for any mistakes.


End file.
